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Preventing Desertification With a Wall of Trees

July 10, 2008, 5am PDT

Officials in Africa have approved a plan to plant a "wall of trees" across the continent to prevent the southward spread of the Sahara desert due to winds and drought.

"The 'Great Green Wall' will involve several stretches of trees from Mauritania in the west to Djibouti in the east, to protect the semi-arid savannah region of the Sahel - and its agricultural land - from desertification."

"A plan for the proposed US$3 million, two-year initial phase of the project - involving a belt of trees 7,000 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide - was formally adopted at the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (Cen-Sad) summit on rural development and food security in Cotonou, Benin, last month (17-18 June)."

"North African nations have been promoting the idea of a Green Belt since 2005 (see African nations agree to boost desert research). The project has been scaled down to reinforce and then expand on existing efforts, and will not be a continent-wide wall of trees, despite the name of the project."

"The Green Wall will involve two planting projects on the east and west sides of Africa."

Comments

Comments

Dubious

Desertification is largely a result of climate change. Why do all of these proposed 'solutions' address the effects of climate change instead of the systemic causes - such as excess CO2 emissions? It seems so shortsighted. Of course, it is shortsightedness which got us into this situation, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Address the causes first - shun the band aid solutions!